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July 13, 2010

Publication Source & URL:

The Advocate

7/13/2010

"Calling the discriminatory policy 'one of the most pressing civil rights issues in our great country today,' attorneys challenging 'don't ask, don't tell' in federal court said Tuesday the U.S. government has no legitimate basis for maintaining the ban on gay soldiers serving openly in the armed forces.

"...The timing of the trial could prove problematic for President Barack Obama and the Department of Defense, which has come under fire for a survey released last week to 400,000 service members regarding the repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell' that some repeal advocates have blasted as offensive and unnecessary. 'Perhaps [the trial’s] greatest importance is the political dilemma it is creating for the Obama administration, which has felt compelled to defend the constitutionality of a policy it is trying, however slowly, to end,' said Jon W. Davidson, legal director for Lambda Legal."